San Francisco's commission system has come under scrutiny following a report by the city's Civil Grand Jury. The report highlights that the city has created 115 commissions, compared to 27 in San Jose and 49 in San Diego. This proliferation of commissions has contributed to significant red tape and a bloated bureaucracy, making it difficult to run the city with a cohesive agenda. The number of commissions has grown by 475 percent since 1930, while the population has only increased by 37 percent. Critics argue that these commissions inhibit progress and reduce accountability for elected officials. Additionally, from 2015–2021, San Francisco permitted just 2,861 housing units per 100k people, compared to 9,839 in Seattle. Critics also blame the federal government and the Planning Commission for the housing issues.
San Francisco has created 115 commissions that have contributed to mounds of red tape and bloated bureaucracy over the years, according to a San Francisco Civil Grand Jury report. https://t.co/pU8N2MltPF
"Commissions don’t always get the attention they deserve for the roles that they play in inhibiting progress—we're glad to see the Grand Jury provide a necessary spotlight and overlapping solutions with our measure." —@KaniKinSF in the SF Standard. https://t.co/7uCLtAdfJu
I’ve often been asked what I would change about San Francisco if I could wave a magic wand. My answer is always building more housing. Housing is the foundation for so many of our needs like attracting and retaining workers, reducing homelessness, and ensuring that families can… https://t.co/RG0cfOFQ9a
Can’t stop thinking about the fact that San Francisco has 115 commissions, compared to 27 in San Jose and 49 in San Diego. Glad the fever finally broke, but we made it very hard to run the city with any kind of cohesive agenda. If anything, the effect has been underestimated. https://t.co/QOqNE5lYbi
San Francisco has a lot of commissions — so many that the city doesn’t even have a comprehensive list of all of them, a new report by the city’s Civil Grand Jury found. https://t.co/RI6P7obHBl
#SF suffers from commission creep, and the report suggests even more could be axed (without Charter amendments). But, appointments provide addictive patronage sources for both executive and legislative branches of local gov't. This is your city on drugs. https://t.co/fUIst6fBTY
Sprawling mess is an understatement. San Francisco’s population has grown about 37 percent since 1930. Our commission system has grown 475 percent in that same time. Commissions aren’t making SF’s government better, they’re making accountability for elected officials worse. https://t.co/0beXdTTdE7 https://t.co/Ply3lhDwL5
San Francisco’s commissions are a sprawling mess, report finds https://t.co/xOPvP4U2ar via @sfstandard
From 2015–2021, San Francisco permitted just 2,861 housing units per 100k people. For comparison, Seattle permitted 9,839. You can blame SF's elected officials and the federal government for that. But you can also blame the Planning Commission. 🧵